Jake Westbrook completely fell out of the Cardinals’ plans by getting hurt and pitching terribly, and not surprisingly the team declined his $9.5 million option. He’ll get a $1 million buyout instead, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Westbrook made $9.75 million this season while throwing 117 innings with a 4.63 ERA and was yanked from the rotation in August. He spent a total of three-and-a-half seasons in St. Louis after coming over in a mid-2010 deal from Cleveland, logging 1,191 innings with a 4.29 ERA.

If healthy Westbrook should have no trouble finding work as a mid-rotation starter, but he hasn’t had a better-than-average ERA in a full season since 2007 and at 36 years old has talked about possibly retiring.

I heard the Cardinals have been in contact with the Cubs about trading a pitcher for their Short Stop Starlin Castro. He is only 23 and carries a .979 fielding avg. with a .283 batting avg. 14 hr. 25 stolen bases and 76 runs scored. I would like to see them trade Lynn but I am going to guess they try to trade Miller. They are saying that Miller shows fatigue down the stretch. But nobody really knows until the deal is done!!

Westbrook didn’t pitch “terribly”. He was among the league’s ERA leader in May until he got hurt. The atrocious K:BB ratio isn’t an issue because he’s a groundball pitcher throughout his career. He’s still a good gamble as a veteran inning eater at the backend of the rotation.

don’t worry jocketty will be on the line soon to over pay for yet another washed up cardinal to suck for the reds.he just can’t seem to realize he does not work for them anymore and can’t resist wasting money on their rejects.